Soviet Union 1991

"Passed?"

Yanayev's voice on the phone seemed a little relieved. He said in person, "Yes, you have passed, Comrade Vladimir."

There was a short silence. Vladimir was puzzled by Yanaev's answer. He thought that the other party did not hear the question he asked, and asked again, "I'm sorry, Comrade General Secretary, I didn't understand what you wanted to say. On what issue did I pass the assessment?"

He was in his bedroom, looking at the beach on the Crimean coastline outside the window, enjoying a rare moment of peace. He even felt a little tired and disgusted with Moscow's intrigue.

Just like Napoleon had the supreme power and wealth of France, but he never had a happy day. The same fate fell on Yanayev. Even though he was the top leader of the country, there was a group of people thinking about how to push him to a dominant position all day long.

That's why he spent eight years carefully cultivating his successor and the eighth leadership group. When everything is settled, he will return to Perevots Village in Gorky Oblast, or stay at Moscow University as a professor.

Yanaev smiled and said, "You have already handed in a satisfactory answer to the difficult problem of handling this coup, including a series of subsequent handling. Your performance is very good. It seems that Comrade Vladimir can really grasp the overall situation. It is time for this country to be handed over to you to handle and complete the great cause we have not yet completed."

Vladimir was stunned for a moment. He did not expect Yanaev to say this at all. He could not help but ask again, "General Secretary means that this coup is actually an assessment of my ability to handle it. In fact, everything is within your calculation?"

Yanaev said affirmatively, "Yes, that's what I mean. Lukyanov's coup is actually just a clumsy drama performance."

Hearing this, Vladimir's face changed. This is a coup! Which general secretary in Soviet history dared to use a coup as an assessment question? No one can explain to what extent Yanaev's ability to control the overall situation has reached. The only thing they know is that they show bloody examples one after another to others, and tell them that this is the fate of betrayers.

Lukyanov, the only one who knows the truth, lost miserably. Not only did he suffer bad luck, but he also lost the capital accumulated over the years. Yanayev suffered almost no losses, but just spent a sleepless night in his Black Sea holiday villa. And the cost of repairing the Supreme Soviet Building is also taken into account.

However, Yanayev has only now stated that he does not regard Lukyanov as a real opponent at all. It is easy to pull out an agent, but it is not so easy to uproot the forces behind the conservatives. That is why Lukyanov is needed to bring out all the secrets behind.

Now it seems that the impatient and hasty coup has ruined all of them, and more unlucky guys will be tragically implicated.

Yanaev said, "From the moment Lukyanov prepared to launch a coup, all of this was within my calculations. I had already made arrangements with Akhromeyev and Yazov. They are the last trump card before the situation gets out of control. Once you can't handle the situation in Moscow, the army will intervene directly and forcefully, but more people will die by then. After you control the situation, you basically don't pay too much casualties. Including those people you pulled out of the army, I didn't intend to deal with them all. I just punished military personnel like Rutskoi who were directly involved in the coup. Now the most important thing within the army is to work together to solve the problems before us. "You are right to let go of potential supporters who have not directly joined the coup."

"But there is still a small problem."

Yanayev paused and his tone became tough. "Don't let go of any of the guys on that list who directly joined this dangerous game, like Rutskoi. I will deal with them myself, and I will never be soft-hearted. Only you will be responsible for appeasing the officers of the airborne troops."

Vladimir, who has always been quick-witted, immediately understood what Yanaev meant. He wanted to leave the role of the bad guy to himself and let Vladimir play the role of the good guy. Once he announced the pardon of those uneasy officers, these people would become Vladimir's loyal followers.

Of course, there will also be a group of people who begin to hate Yanayev's rooting out and killing, thinking that he is destroying the foundation of support for themselves, and further move towards Vladimir.

"General Secretary Yanaev... You don't have to sacrifice so much..."

Vladimir clenched his fists and said with emotion, "General Secretary... You could have taken all the credit by yourself, but why did you choose to give up all the credit? The country still needs you... The people also need you, you are the most suitable person for that position."

In his opinion, all this was arranged by Yanaev. He just followed the script rehearsed by the other party step by step, and actually did not do anything to turn the tide. On the contrary, the always calm general secretary calculated a coup d'état as sure as a sure thing, and every step was within his consideration.

"No, you are wrong. The motherland no longer needs an old man like me. The future Soviet Union will belong to you, the younger generation. Because you are the future of this country, I need to come forward to be the evil man. My mission is to clear all obstacles that hinder the development of the motherland and bring this country back on track. Comrade Vladimir, the whole country will be handed over to you at that time."

Vladimir could feel the heavy sense of responsibility on his shoulders even though he was thousands of kilometers away.

Yanaev finally said on the phone, "I am old and can no longer move. I don't have enough energy to support a protracted struggle. I am ready to withdraw from the front line of the battlefield."

After eight years of loyal service, he burned out the last inch of the wick like an old man with an exhausted oil lamp.

Until the end, what he cared about was still this country and the people that the Soviet Union dutifully protected.

Even if he fell, he would fall on the land he loved.

"Let me, an old man, fight for the country with my last bit of strength before I leave. Finally, tell it, dear motherland, I have tried my best."